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Clinical reports of hereditary palmoplantar keratoderma are generally based on a limited number of patients. In 1967 the prevalence in the northernmost county of Sweden (Norrbotten) was shown to be 0.55%. The frequency of dermatophytosis was 36.2%, which was equal to a prevalence of 37.6%. T. mentagrophytes occurred significantly more often and immunological factors, such as increased presence of blood group A, specific dermatophyte IgG antibodies, precipitating antibodies and an immunological in vitro reaction to keratin, supported differences in the distribution of dermatophytes. A vesicular eruption along the hyperkeratotic border and a mononuclear cell infiltrate were often reported. Such reactions were interpreted as immunological reactions to dermatophytosis. Scaling and fissuring were considered clinical signs of dermatophyte infections and not a part of the originally reported clinical picture. (1)

The role of ABO blood groups in the carriage rate of dermatophytosis was studied. Blood grouping was done for 108 culture-proven dermatophytosis patients. Forty-nine patients belonged to blood group A, 54 to blood group O, three to blood group B and two to blood group AB. The incidence of dermatophytosis was found to be high in patients of blood group O and A. However, chronicity of the disease was more frequent in those in blood group A. The control group consisted of 100 healthy subjects. Sixteen out of 29 control subjects belonging to blood group A had a history of skin infections. None of the O blood group control subjects had a history of skin infections. Our study suggests that A blood group subjects may be prone to chronic dermatophytosis. (2)

A long-term review of 108 women suffering from various forms of vulval dermatosis is described and a detailed analysis of those with chronic hypertrophic vulvitis, lichen sclerosus et atrophicus, and neurodermatitis is made. One case of neurodermatitis and two cases of lichen sclerosus progressed to carcinoma but no case of chronic hypertrophic vulvitis became malignant. It is possible that vulval dermatoses occur more commonly in the nulliparous than in the parous women and there is a slight preponderance of women who are blood group A. It is suggested that the term "leukoplakia" should be abandoned and that vulval lesions should be described in precise and meaningful histological terms. 3>